The Will of the Wisp
by ForeverShippingJohnlock
Summary: When a superstitious warning comes to fruition at the Phantomhive manor, a series of embarrassing situations between Ciel and Sebastian might just have the possibility of turning into something wonderful.


The Will of the Wisp

It took a while for things to get back to normal at the Phantomhive manor, what with all the festivities going on for Christmas and New Year's, with Ciel's birthday thrown into the mix, annoyingly acknowledged despite his express wishes. Ciel didn't give one whit for any kind of party, of course, but as Sebastian was ever so quick to remind him, nobility required certain social obligations. So, when all the insufferable merry-making had finally ceased, Ciel had ordered all the decorations to be taken down immediately.

The servants had dragged their feet a little at first – enjoying the lights and the wreaths almost as much as Ciel loathed them – but Sebastian soon whipped them into shape. Within hours, Ciel was able to breathe a sigh of relief, the manor now festively barren…

The sole exception being the small sprig of mistletoe that had been dropped, lying forgotten and unnoticed beneath a chair.

Despite having a demon for a butler, Ciel Phantomhive was not an inherent believer of the supernatural, nor was he the slightest bit superstitious. So, he didn't believe the warnings that always went around during this time of year, to have all your Christmas decorations down by January fifth or a tree spirit will come to wreak havoc upon the household.

But come the morning of January sixth, all that was about to change.

It had started as any other morning. Sebastian had woken him, dressed him, and made him breakfast – eggs, ham, and biscuits with raspberry jam. Ciel was just licking an errant spot of jam from his finger when Sebastian came in to re-fill his tea cup with fresh earl grey.

"More tea, my lord?"

Ciel made a hum of assent, not paying attention to his butler, his focus on the morning

paper. He inhaled the pleasant aroma of tea as he settled into the article he was reading.

Suddenly, though, Ciel's gaze snapped to Sebastian, as if his eyes couldn't avert to anything else if he tried. The newspaper fell from his hands, producing a loud clatter as it collided with his cutlery. Then, with hands that suddenly didn't feel like his own, he grabbed Sebastian's tie and tugged hard, bringing the man's face down to his level. Ciel surged forward, as if possessed, and captured Sebastian's lips in an urgent kiss.

The moment they broke apart, the spell was broken. Ciel let go of Sebastian's tie and scrambled backwards as much as he could without toppling over his chair, which he almost did in his haste. His eyes were wide with shock, and he could feel his face colour with shame and embarrassment. He stood there, equal parts motionless and speechless, still trying to work out what had just happened.

Sebastian was evidently trying to do the same; his hands were frozen on the teapot that he had just finished pouring, and he was watching Ciel with amusement, eyebrows raised.

"You know, I don't believe I've ever witnessed someone so grateful for receiving their tea," Sebastian said, his eyes sparking with mischief. That broke Ciel out of his trance. He didn't know quite how to feel, so he settled on what he knew best: annoyance.

"That wasn't me!" Ciel replied indignantly, his hands gesticulating wildly.

"If I could bring you up on a small point, young lord… It certainly was," Sebastian rebutted in cheeky insolence.

"Do you honestly think that I would kiss _you_?"

"I've been told I have a certain irresistible quality. Perhaps it was only a matter of time?"

Ciel made a face accompanied by a noise of disgust.

"Or perhaps not," Sebastian continued.

"Obviously not," Ciel snapped.

"Do you have an explanation for it, then?"

In the beat of silence that followed while Ciel was trying to come up with an answer to that question, the pair heard a tiny giggle from somewhere above them, sounding like the tinkling of a small bell. They looked up.

There, defying gravity by standing on the ceiling directly above them, was some kind of creature. It was very little, no bigger than the size of a hand. It looked as if it was made of shimmery white dough, its arms and legs mere stubs with no apparent appendages, and its head was twice the size of its body. It had a cheerful smiling mouth and wideset blue shining eyes. The only thing that was remarkable about it was what seemed to be attached to its head: various Christmas greenery, the most prominent of which was a branch of mistletoe. It looked identical to the ones that had been used to decorate the manor, the ribbon tied around it giving it away.

"Sebastian, catch whatever the hell that is!"

The second Sebastian leapt into action, the creature giggled again and disappeared.

"What was that thing?" Ciel asked.

"I believe it was a wisp."

"Care to elaborate?" the earl snapped impatiently.

"Simply put, it is a nature spirit. They inhabit forests, typically. It's said that they come out-"

"If any Christmas greenery is left inside the house after January fifth," Ciel finished, incredulous realization dawning on him.

Sebastian nodded, picking up the boy's train of thought. "Unfortunately, most folk tales do usually stem from some vein of truth, young master. It would appear this wisp has taken the _traditions_ of its greenery to heart, using its magic to bewitch the two beneath."

Ciel remembered Sebastian's unchanged demeanor before he had grabbed his tie. He rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, you're not affected by its power."

"Correct. Call it a perk of being a denizen of perdition, I suppose."

"Of course," Ciel murmured sarcastically, thinking that if the incident hadn't been so one-sided, it might have been less humiliating. "Well, don't just stand there. Find whatever got left behind and pitch it out to get rid of that thing!"

"Ah. I'm afraid it's not as simple as that. Wisps love to cause mischief, and won't leave until they've had their fill of fun."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

For the next while, Ciel and Sebastian talked strategy. It soon became apparent that they were grasping fruitlessly at straws; there was no known way to kill a wisp, and besides, not even Sebastian could catch something that was invisible.

They would just have to wait for it to show itself again.

The second time it happened, they were playing a game of chess to while away the idle winter hours. Sebastian was just on the verge of moving his queen when without warning, Ciel suddenly launched across the table, upsetting their game, and brought Sebastian's face to his, capturing his mouth once more.

The moment Ciel's lips were unoccupied, he let out a frustrated noise and looked up immediately.

"Checkmate! Hee hee!" the wisp laughed in its tiny pip of a voice.

Sebastian was up in a flash, bounding off the table to reach the creature. When he landed, he had it firm in his grasp.

"Here's a riddle for you," it said in its curiously cheerful tone, "What's small and angry and red all over?"

Before they could even think to reply, the creature had disappeared again only to reappear lying leisurely on Ciel's head.

"Ciel Phantomhive!" the wisp finished, reaching down and boop-ing Ciel's nose.

Ciel growled and made to swipe an arm over his head to brush the nuisance off, but it had already winked out of sight.

Sebastian looked down at the remnants of their game with a sigh. "Pity, I was just about to win…"

The third time it happened was very unfortunate timing indeed.

Ciel sat perched on the edge of his bed, already dressed in his nightshirt as Sebastian knelt in front of him to pull off his stockings.

One moment everything was fine, and the next Sebastian was knocked backwards onto the floor, a very eager Ciel perched on top of him, kissing him like morning would never come.

And the very last thing Ciel wanted to do was think about how it kept taking him longer and longer to pull away, or how Sebastian had become more of an active participant in the proceedings.

They broke apart, just looking at each other for a moment, before a tinkling chuckle brought them back to reality.

"Sweet dreams!" the wisp said in a tone that was far too knowing and smug for Ciel's liking.

The young earl stood up, a small tower of indignant fury and confusion, trying to regain as much dignity as he could for someone in his particular situation. He glared down at Sebastian.

"I _hate_ Christmas."

After that, Ciel was taking no chances. Any time Sebastian entered a room, Ciel's head would tilt back to watch the ceiling for any sign of movement. The blue-haired boy had been sitting in his office, catching up on some paperwork, when Sebastian entered with the tea trolley. As was now typical, Ciel threw his head back, far past the point of caring how ridiculous he looked.

"My lord, as one who is contractually obligated to see to your general well-being, I feel I must mention that you are doing absolutely no favours to your neck," Sebastian admonished gently.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Ciel cried, feeling frustrated and tired from all the thinking he'd been doing lately.

"I'm sure we will figure something out," Sebastian replied unconvincingly.

"And if I have investors coming over? I can't exactly afford to be seen kissing my butler, now can I?"

"A fair point, young master."

Ciel had never actually stated the exact parameters of the predicament they were in out loud, and he willed himself not to blush. He was also unnerved by how calm Sebastian was about the whole thing, which only made him panic more. He tore his gaze from the ceiling and stood up from his desk chair, beginning to walk around the room.

"What kind of a so-called tradition is mistletoe, anyway? Humans may be vile, but they have a mind of their own! You shouldn't need a couple stray leaves and berries to make decisions for you." Ciel began to walk towards where Sebastian was standing absentmindedly, venting more in his direction than to the room in general. Sebastian stood, listening, once more demonstrating that infuriating indifference.

"If you want to kiss someone, just bloody _do_ it," Ciel continued, his focus to the floor for a moment. "It's pathetic, is what it is. If you… really think… about it..."

Ciel trailed off. When he lifted his gaze, he found he was standing directly in front of Sebastian. One step closer and they would have bumped into each other. Sebastian smirked a little, but made no intention to move.

"Ridiculous," Sebastian agreed in a soft, low voice.

"Moronic," Ciel replied quietly, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, his mouth suddenly feeling dry.

"Absolutely senseless," Sebastian all but whispered.

All the gears of cognitive function working in Ciel's brain grinded to a halt as he acted purely on instinctual want. He stood on tiptoe, threaded a hand through the hair at the nape of Sebastian's neck, and pulled him down into a kiss.

This was different from the others. It had some of the same desperation, but less of the urgency. It was slow and explorative, tentative yet heady with desire. Ciel's arms naturally found their way around the butler's neck, just as Sebastian's found their place resting on Ciel's slender hips. When they parted, Ciel didn't jump back as he'd done previously.

He did, however, startle when a familiar voice echoed from above them. "Aw, it's no fun if you _want_ to kiss! This isn't fair," the wisp pouted, crossing its stubby arms across its chest. It let out a disappointed sigh, before quickly regaining its cheerful demeanor and continuing in a sing-song voice, "Well, maybe I'll see you next year! Those servants of yours seem veeeeery clumsy, who _knows_ what could be forgotten in such a big house!"

And with a wink and a giggle, the wisp was gone.

Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. He was just about to ask Sebastian whether they might pick up where they left off, when Sebastian spoke.

"I must say, that was an excellent plan, sir. Knowing willingness would spoil its fun. Very astute."

Ciel's heart tried to relocate itself into his stomach. He disentangled his arms and stepped back, hoping he didn't look as awkward as he suddenly felt. "Ah. Yes. My plan."

About to turn and leave the room before he could humiliate himself further, Ciel was surprised when Sebastian closed the distance between them again, pulling him close. Ciel quirked an eyebrow at him, but didn't move out of the hold.

Sebastian chuckled, so low and soft it may as well have been a purr. "For such a skilled liar, you can be terribly transparent, my young lord."

Before Ciel could even think to tell him off for teasing him like that, Sebastian leaned down and kissed him.

Ciel Phantomhive was not a believer in superstition, but at that moment, he figured he could stand to have a little more tradition in his life.


End file.
